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Sunday, 9 October 2016

Conflict at the UN ecurity Council

On
Saturday, Russia blocked a draft UN Security Council resolution on
the cessation of hostilities in Syria's Aleppo favoring a proposal by
the UN Envoy to Syria that focuses on evicting al-Nusra terrorists
(al-Qaeda) from Eastern Aleppo.

Russia
vetoed a French-drafted United Nations Security Council Resolution
on Saturday that called for the immediate end to airstrikes
over Syria's Aleppo city receiving condemnation from the
West which argues that Moscow is facilitating more war and fighting
in the country.

Moscow
opposed the draft because it did not adequately deal with the
problem of the rebels being interwoven with al-Nusra Front,
formerly Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate, under the umbrella group
the Army of Conquest. The UN Envoy to Syria proposed a
separate plan that would allow al-Nusra Front fighters to evacuate
the area armed to make for a more tenable situation
inside of the besieged eastern side of Aleppo.

This is the
fifth time that Russia has vetoed a UN resolution on Syria
during the five-year conflict with China joining Moscow
in the previous four vetoes, but abstaining from voting
on Saturday.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
commented that the text of the French resolution distorted the
complexity of the situation on the ground leaving the false
impression that Russia and Syria were aggressors when in reality
the conflict in East Aleppo is mixed between moderate
anti-Assad forces that have branched together with more radical
al-Nusra terrorists.

The Ministry further noted that the draft
resolution ignored the urgent challenge of beginning and
resolving an intra-Syrian political process that could place the
country on a path towards stability and peace.

Russian
representatives further expressed their "commitment to finding
a lasting political solution to the Syrian conflict"
notwithstanding the move to veto the French draft United
Nations Security Council resolution.

Prior to the vote, Russian
Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin expressed his
dismay with the French draft that he believed was poorly
postulated and designed to be vetoed by Russia for the
sake of scoring public relations points and instead expressed
his desire that the United Nations pursue the route of supporting
the UN Envoy to Syria's plan.

Reiterating this point, Russia
said that the authors of the French United Nations Security
Council resolution draft on Syria failed to show political
wisdom by intentionally ignoring Moscow's proposed amendments
to it.

Vitaly Churkin went on to say before the vote
that all of those attending the Security Council meeting knew
that neither the French nor the Russian resolution on the Syrian
crisis would be adopted.

The Russian Foreign Ministry closed
by appealing to the members of the United Nations
Security Council that the world must not allow Syria to go the
way of Iraq or Libya reminding that US-led regime change
in those countries led to further instability making those
nations hotbeds for terrorism and in large part
contributing to the crisis in Syria.

"Today we
are participating in one of the most bizarre scenes in the history of
the UN Security Council. We will vote on the two draft Council
resolutions, and we are all well aware that neither of them will be
accepted," Churkin
said.

The
official urged all sides to restart the Syria peace process,
which he said had been “jeopardized” by
the radical groups.

The
French proposal implied “upgraded” coordination of monitoring of
the situation in Syria and reactivating the cessation of hostilities
in Aleppo. One of the key points of the proposal was a halt to Syrian
and Russian bombardment of East Aleppo.

However,
Moscow and Damascus repeatedly stressed they are targeting terrorist
hideouts there, which have been jeopardizing the cessation of
hostilities.

The
French proposal also included a call for all sides to prevent any
material and financial resources reaching individuals or
groups “associated
with al-Qaeda and IS [Islamic State].” In
addition, the French urged greater access for humanitarian aid
deliveries across Syria.

Moscow: Halt to
strikes gives terrorists ‘cover’

The
Russian Foreign Ministry said that the French-sponsored resolution
“distorted” the real situation in Syria after the US refused to
stick to the agreement on settling the crisis. The prohibition
of flights over Aleppo “provides cover to terrorists from Jabhat
al-Nusra” and those militants who allied with them, the Russian
Foreign Ministry stated.

Moscow
is nevertheless ready to work together on fulfilling the agreements
reached earlier on resolving the deadlock in Syria, the Foreign
Ministry added.

Russia
for its part submitted to the UNSC a counter-resolution on Syria.

According to the document, Moscow called for an immediate halt to the
violence in war-ravaged Aleppo, but not for a halt to anti-terrorist
strikes in the city. Monitoring should be then evaluated by the
International Syrian Support Group (ISSG), the document said.

One
of the key elements of the proposal was an urgent need for a
separation of moderate rebels from terrorist groups like Al-Nusra in
Aleppo, as agreed between Moscow and Washington in Geneva on
September 9.

Commenting on the
Russian resolution at the UNSC, the US representative stated that
Moscow can’t justify its strikes in Aleppo with “a few hundred”
al-Nusra terrorists there.

Howver
according to the latest estimations by the UN between six and eight
thousand militants are currently holding the eastern part of Aleppo,
with nearly a half estimated to belong or act together with the
al-Nusra terrorists.

Russian
draft also strongly backed calls by the UN envoy to Syria
Staffan de Mistura to allow safe exit for Nusra terrorists in order
to bring relief to Aleppo. On Thursday de Mistura said he is willing
to personally escort them out.

“If
you [Al-Nusra] did decide to leave, in dignity with your weapons, to
Idlib or anywhere you wanted to go, I personally am ready, physically
ready, to accompany you,”
he said.

De
Mistura, warned that East Aleppo might be destroyed within two months
if the military action in the city continues.

Russia
and the Syrian government have come under intense criticism from the
US in recent days over the strikes in Aleppo. On Friday, US Secretary
of State John Kerry said that the Russian and Syrian governments'
actions in Syria "beg
for an appropriate investigation of war crimes." He
alleged that Moscow and Damascus have been “hitting
hospitals, medical facilities,”
in the war-ravaged country.

Russia
and Syria have denied any wrongdoing, with Moscow insisting that any
peace plan for Syria and Aleppo in particular will not bear fruit
until the US-backed rebels clearly distance themselves from
Al-Nusra. On Friday, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly
Antonov said that the US had consistently failed to deliver on its
promises to do so. "It
has led to problems in identifying specific violators of the
ceasefire,”
Antonov said.

During
the UNSC session, Churkin “regretted” that New Zealand’s push
for a document combining Russian and French proposals has not been
given any consideration in the Council.

"We
know that New Zealand tried to work out a draft resolution that would
[be] in the middle of the two approaches presented today. We regret
that some influential members of the Council did not allow to set
your project going,” he said.